There are several means of detecting the position of an optical source using various types of detectors. A straightforward method is to use a high-resolution focal plane array (a camera), whereby the optical spot position may be found to a precision limited by the camera pixel size and lens characteristics. The drawbacks to this method include the limited readout speed, possible constraints on wavelength, size, and cost of the camera. Another approach, which does not create an image, uses a lateral photo-effect semiconducting position sensing detector (PSD). In this multi-electrode device, the currents from each electrode provide information about the lateral position of the optical beam center hitting the PSD. Limitations of this method include relatively low sensitivity and low-bandwidth (because of the large detector size). Many designs, particularly those based on short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensitive materials also have higher non-linearity in position determination. Alternatively, multi-element detectors, such as semiconductor quad-cells may be used to rapidly achieve centering of the incident optical spot by means of dynamic feedback, but without precise stationary location measurement. One application for this type of sensor is a seeker head in munitions, for targets that are passive emitters or are actively illuminated. One example of this system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,943,873 wherein multiple lenses, fibers, and detectors are used to determine target orientation by the directionality associated with each detector. Another useful application is for simple, low-cost means of finding the angle or position of a laser-illuminated pointer spot, particularly at non-visible, eye-safe wavelengths.